decorations

I left work early. There were noxious gas fumes in the building, and our maintenance folks didn’t seem any closer to figuring out the problem. So, I took my asthmatic self home. Brought work home with me too, but first I’ll play the revgalblogpal Friday Five….

1) Do you display a nativity scene, and if so, where?
Yes, in the house. Haven’t put it out yet, but it’s in my living room. The 3 kings however, in a family tradition, start in another part of the house. Each day they get closer and closer. On Christmas eve Jesus appears in the manger. And on January 6 the kings finally make it there.

2) Do you put a skirt under the Christmas tree? If so, what does it look like?
No. Don’t have a real tree. My artificial tree (long story but basically I didn’t have a car for years and was tired of lugging a tree home) died two years ago. I bought a small mini artificial tree this year to display the few sentimental ornaments I decided to keep in my recent getting rid of stuff binge.

3) Do you hang lights on the house or put them in your windows?
I’ll admit I put some star lights in my front window 2 Christmases ago. Have never taken them down, but I only plug them in during winter time.

4) White lights or colored lights on the tree? Big bulbs or the small, pretty ones? (I'm not biased...much.)
My little fake tree is prestrung with some little white ones.

5) Do you have a tree topper? What sort? Who puts it on top of the tree?
When I had the big tree I had an angel that went on top. But after 5 years searching for the perfect tree topper, I gave up.

Now back to doing some work during this working from home as a noxious fume filled building refugee.

So delightfully planted

I've been reading some of Catherine of Sienna's writings lately. This bit in particular has stuck with me.

The Circle of Self-Knowledge
Imagine a circle traced on the ground, and in its center a tree sprouting with a shoot grafted into its side. The tree finds its nourishment in the soil within the expanse of the circle, but uprooted from the soil it would die fruitless. So think of the soul as a tree made for love and living only by love. Indeed, without this divine love, which is true and perfect charity, death would be her fruit instead of life. The circle in which this tree's root, the soul's love, must grow is true knowledge of herself, knowledge that is joined to me, who like the circle have neither beginning nor end. You can go round and round within this circle, finding neither end nor beginning, yet never leaving the circle. This knowledge of yourself, and of me within yourself, is grounded in the soil of true humility, which is as great as the expanse of the circle (which is the knowledge of yourself united with me, as I have said). But if your knowledge of yourself were isolated from me there would be no full circle at all. Instead, there would be a beginning in self-knowledge, but apart from me it would end in confusion.

So the tree of charity is nurtured in humility and branches out in true discernment. The marrow of the tree (that is, loving charity within the soul) is patience, a sure sign that I am in her and that she is united with me.

This tree, so delightfully planted, bears many-fragranced blossoms of virtue. Its fruit is grace for the soul herself and blessing for her neighbors in proportion to the conscientiousness of those who would share my servants' fruits. To me this tree yields the fragrance of glory and praise to my name, and so it does what I created it for and comes at last to its goal, to me, everlasting Life, life that cannot be taken from you against your will.

A beautiful image (tree image!) from a doctor of the church. There's so much packed into that passage! Really, this passage speaks to me of what the novitiate is all about. Spending time to get to know oneself, but in the context of the life of faith, in the context of God. Our constitutions speak of it in terms of "transformation in Jesus Christ." This tree image is a beautiful way really to wrap your head (and heart) around that! You can think of the novitiate process as a "delightful planting" of sorts. Of course it doesn't always seem 'delightful' - there are prickly bits as well - but you know what I mean! ;)

tree update

The tree outside my window here at the Novitiate House has gone through quite a bit of transformation this year. The obvious analogy is true ... so have I.

When I arrived the tree was filled with somewhat ugly green leaves. In the fall the leaves turned a rusty orange and fell one by one until one day a big storm caused the rest of the leaves to fall, leaving me with a beautiful view of the NYC skyline.

Spring has sprung, and my tree is showing new life. Oddly enough, however, the new life is in the form of what looks like little baby droopy pom-poms. Even the color is odd - they are a mustard yellow. There are other forms of new life. Over the past few days I've noticed a number of birds and squirrels checking out the newly transformed tree. In fact as I write a squirelley friend is scampering up one of the branches and nibbling on the mustard colored pom-pom type things. Guess they taste good (to squirrels that is) even if they look strange to me.

I must say I was surprised by the droopy pom-pom development, just as I have been surprised by my own development these past eight months. In the fall I wrote:

Cliched as it may seem, I'm feeling a bit like my tree this morning. I came with lots of leaves - expectations, past history, hopes, fears, demons, etc... They weren't all the healthiest of leaves. One by one though my leaves began to transform. Two and 1/2 months into this experience, and I am not the same person. This is of course not to say there hasn't been, and doesn't continue to be, resistance to the change. Who will I be? How will I be? Only God knows the answers to those questions.

The transformation is by no means complete, it continues each day. At the moment it seems like my leaves have fallen and my branches are bare - the inner journey can feel that way at times. But that process also allows you to see beyond the trees. Winter is coming, but so is Spring and Summer and another Fall.

It turns out that what I was worried about wasn't that big of a deal. It also seems that while I thought I knew where I needed to grow and transform, God had other plans. You could say that I've developed my own surprising mustard colored pom-poms, and I'm just waiting to see what happens next.

And so continues this wonderful crazy journey of following that Jesus guy ... ;)

fall

You Belong in Fall

Intelligent, introspective, and quite expressive at times... You appreciate the changes in color, climate, and mood that fall brings Whether you're carving wacky pumpkins or taking long drives, autumn is a favorite time of year for you

What Season Are You?

It's starting to feel like fall here in NJ. Last week there were a few rainy days which made me happy ... I like rain, particuarly gentle mists when you can walk in the rain. In my beloved Northwest fall means rain. But I also like the east coast version of Fall. Growing up in Maryland it was my favorite season, and I'm looking forward to seeing the trees change their colors.

There's a tree outside my window here at the Novitiate house. I set up my prayer space right in front of the window and hence spend a lot of time here looking at the tree. Right now the tree is full of green leaves. They were more lush when I got here, now they're starting to get a little droopy. When the leaves fall I think I'll have a good view of the George Washington Bridge and NYC skyline.

But in any case, it struck me at some point in my reflections over the past few weeks that I'll be journeying this year with my tree. The leaves will fall ... my leaves will fall as I live more and more gently into this year of retreat. One day the branches will be bare ... and I may feel bare and my life spare at times. But new life will come, for both me and my tree.

Tomorrow we're heading away from the Novitiate House for a day at our retreat house on the shore. It's a gathering of Sisters & Associates. I'm looking forward to the chance to share and get to know some of the East Coast groovy sisters and associates. While most of this year I like my tree will be stationary in this spot, at least there are times when we get to get away! It will be good to say hello to the ocean as well.

Peace to all my bloggy friends. I think I'm almost ready to come back to this blogging thing in some semi-regular form. And thanks for all the prayers ... please keep them coming!

sitka spruce

One of my favorite things about living in Oregon was being a few hours drive from the Oregon Coast. Whenever I took family or friends to the North Coast by way of Highway 26, we'd stop off to see the "Nation's Largest Sitka Spruce" near Seaside. (As an aside it turns out it shares that honor with a tree in Washington State's Olympic National Park).

This friend of mine has been around for an estimated 750 years. The Giant Sitka stands 216 feet tall, measures 56 feet in circumference and has a crown that spreads 93 feet.

It used to be you could walk around the roots of the tree. A number of people must have suffered the fate of my friend Kathy, who still talks about her "Sitka Spruce injury," as a few years ago they installed a wooden walkway around the tree.

The last time I went to the North Coast I stopped off to visit the tree. Boy am I glad I did! Turns out the experts think it's reaching the end of its life span. The tree has been spared the ax, but it's apparently going to fall over someday soon.

"It could last another 10 or 20 years, or it could fall over tomorrow," said Steve Meshke, Clatsop County Parks director. "It is at the end of its life cycle; that is the one thing we have all agreed upon. There is not much we can do at this stage, except keep everyone away from it and monitor it."

750 years. Can you imagine?

Decorating Grace House

We decorated our house today! Up until now we've been an oasis of Advent in a sea of Christmas (our neighbors have gone all out!). We put aside most of the day to decorate our house as a house today. It was fun and reminded me of this song by Sufjan Stevens:



Actually, the tree already had lights on it. We used the little mini artificial Christmas tree that I brought with me. When I closed up my apartment prior to entering, I gave away most of my Christmas decorations. I figured (rightly) that any communities I would live with would have more than enough decorations. But there were some ornaments that meant a lot to me. The 3 Kings that my parents bought on a trip to Puerto Rico when I was a baby. Ornaments given to me by my mom and other family members. So I pared down and kept a smattering of ornaments and got a mini tree that they'd fit on. This was the tree I had in my apartment my last Christmas in Portland. And now it's here!

I also had a few other additions to our community decorations -- including a wreath my mother made years ago that is now on the door to our living room. It may be the last Sunday of Advent tomorrow, but in my house it looks a lot like Christmas!

It was a good community day! Now off to a cookie exchange!

Camara on trees

Trees have been a recurring theme of my novitiate. Perhaps that is why this prayer/poem jumped out at me today in a book I was reading by Dom Helder Camara. The book is called "Sister Earth" and the prayer/poem is called "Trees, Sister Trees." Enjoy!

Ah, trees,
Do you live in peace,
In harmony,
Despite the differences
Between you
Which to the human eye
Seem so immense?
How do you feel,
You towering palms,
You massive oaks,
You giant baobabs,
As you stare down upon
A tiny bush?
Are the fruit bearers,
Apple, mango and coconut,
Tempted to mock
Those who have simply
Leaves and thorns?

Do you welcome
The birds' nests
And children who swing
From your branches?
What is it like
When the leaves fall
And your branches are draped
In snow?
Does Spring give a hint
Of the thought of resurrection?
And what is it like when
Drought wounds the land
And you trees seem to raise
Up your arms
In silent prayer
To our Lord and Father?

What do you feel
At the plucking of your fruits?
Is the stoning
The worst part?
And what is your pain
When your branches are pruned,
Or when a tree entire
Goes to the timber yard
To be cut
Into house or bridges or chairs or beds?
Do you understand the purpose
Of a bridge
And the vivid symbol it is?
Do you realize the importance in
The building of a home?

Chairs and beds
Call to mind rest
And make us think
Of the family:
But what does it mean to you?

When lightening strikes a tree,
Is it true that the tree
Prefers itself to be struck
Than to see a person or house
Destroyed?

Remember, sister Tree,
That the Son of God
In order to reconcile us
With our Father and his,
Bore a heavy cross.
Three times he fell
Under that burden,
And wanted to die
Nailed to the cross
In order to save us.

my tree has no leaves

When I arrived at the Novitiate House in September, the tree outside my window was fully covered in green leaves ... even if they weren't the healthiest looking leaves.

As the weather cooled a bit, they began to turn a rusty orange, one by one. Some of the leaves seemed to change overnight. Others appeared to resist the change - one tip would stay green as the rest of the leaf was transformed.

Over the past few weeks, the leaves have been slowly falling off the tree, their job done. But as of yesterday, there was still a healty smattering of orange. Until last night ...

We had a window rattling storm last night. When I opened my blinds this morning, the first thing I noticed was my lovely view of the George Washington Bridge & the NYC skyline. But then I realized ... wait, I can't normally see that! I guess it's what they call a "winter view" - now that the leaves have gone to leaf heaven, I can see through the leafless branches. I suppose resistance is futile - whether the leaves were ready to go or not, they are gone.

Cliched as it may seem, I'm feeling a bit like my tree this morning. I came with lots of leaves - expectations, past history, hopes, fears, demons, etc... They weren't all the healthiest of leaves. One by one though my leaves began to transform. Two and 1/2 months into this experience, and I am not the same person. This is of course not to say there hasn't been, and doesn't continue to be, resistance to the change. Who will I be? How will I be? Only God knows the answers to those questions.

The transformation is by no means complete, it continues each day. At the moment it seems like my leaves have fallen and my branches are bare - the inner journey can feel that way at times. But that process also allows you to see beyond the trees. Winter is coming, but so is Spring and Summer and another Fall.

settling in

Today is day two back at the Novitiate House. I still haven't really unpacked (and still have a few odds and ends to pick up at my Jersey City House on Friday). I'm also still sorting out my to do list and looking forward to what lies ahead in the coming days/weeks/months. It's odd to be back but at the same time good to be back. Funny how that goes ...

Some of you may remember the tree outside my window here at the Novitiate. While I've been gallivanting about this year (London, Jersey City, etc...) the tree has stayed put. But it's been going through some changes as well. Not only is it now full up with its slightly ugly green leaves that block my view of NYC, but I discovered that it's also gained a spotlight! I guess they've added some security lights to the outside of the house, but the result is that when I look out my window at night, the spotlight is shining on my tree.

Decorating Grace House

Grace House is decorated for Christmas!  One of my housemates is on retreat this week but my other housemate and I had fun this morning decorating the house while we listened to Christmas music (including Sufjan Stevens of the video clip below).

I put out my manger set this year.  Past years I haven't put it out because one of my housemates had her own quite substantial collection of nativity sets and it just seemed like to much to add one more.  She's moved though, so I put mine out.  It's simple and reminds me of my mom's.  I'm going to be in California with my sister's family on Christmas day so I had to tell my housemate where I was hiding baby Jesus and ask her to put him out next Sunday.  The 3 Kings and their 2 camels are starting their long trek through the dining room. They should make it to the manger by Epiphany I think.  That was always my job as a kid, walking the kings through the house, every day a little closer.  Yes, I'm a grown up now but it's still a fun tradition.

Lastly, I set up my little mini Christmas tree.  When I closed up my apartment, I gave away the majority of my Christmas decorations. I kept the manger, and I kept a small collection of ornaments that mean something to me.  I have a little artificial tree that is just big enough for my few ornaments. It's cute and keeps me connected to Christmas memories past.  However, it already has lights on it so I couldn't put the lights on the tree.  But I could sing this song!

Happy last week of Advent everyone.  May your preparations be merry.

shining the spotlight

I'm sitting here in my room in the dark, looking at the gentle glow of the new spotlight on the tree outside my window. And it hit me ... throughout my novitiate the tree outside my window has been sort of an analogy for whatever stage of discernment I find myself at. And right now, just as I am beginning a more focused period of discernment - particularly around the question of writing my letter to request vows - I am shining the spotlight on my journey so far. I am looking back at the past year and 8 months of novitiate. Looking for the areas where I've grown and changed, looking for areas that still need to be pruned or cut back, looking for places where new growth is about to come.

So it's fitting, this new spotlight on my tree.

deepening and being still

This afternoon I took a break from my ministry to head to west coast groovy sister hq. The Sisters were welcoming a special guest for liturgy and lunch ... our new Arcbhishop. This was the second time I have met Archbishop Sartain. He seems to be a deeply prayerful man, kind and simple in the best way possible. It said volumes for who he is as a pastor to see him with our frail Sisters after lunch, kneeling down to speak one-on-one with them.

Liturgy was memorable. For one thing, the Archbishop's homily was what I needed to hear in the midst of my busy-ness. He remarked that many people might be surprised to hear that women religious and clergy are busy. "Some might think we just sit around until Sunday!" He recognized the reality of our busy schedules, but invited us to go into the deep, to be still, and to find our root in Jesus who is everything. He of course said all that much more eloquently, but that I think was the core message.

The other reason liturgy was memorable was on account of what was happening outside. Our chapel at St. Mary-on-the-Lake, as the name implies, looks out on Lake Washington. We sometimes have other special visitors on our grounds, namely eagles. You can occasionally hear their cries and see them perched in the high reaches of the magnificent evergreens.

This morning however, just as the Archbishop was beginning the Eucharistic prayer, one of our feathered friends swooped down from the sky and perched on the top of a tree near the water. Sitting very still, he or she sat there, on top of the tree, through the rest of the liturgy. From our perspective, it appeared as if the bird was looking directly into the Chapel. At the close of liturgy, I saw a number of the Sisters urge the Archbishop to the window to see the bird, still perching high on the top of the tree.

All in all, it was a nice break from my day. I'm glad I was able to break away from the office and join our Sisters in welcoming our new Archbishop for what I hope was the first of many visits.

Christmas is coming

You Are a Cranberry and Popcorn Strung Tree

Christmas is all about showcasing your creative talents. From cookies to nicely wrapped presents, your unique creations impress everyone.

What Christmas Tree Are You?

This afternoon was the east coast Groovy Sisters Province Advent Liturgy & Luncheon. It was a lovely time, although I was in high introvert mode. I'm still getting to know folks in this Province, and a room full of people who know who I am but that I don't necessarily know the names of tends to make me a bit quiet. Given that reality, however, I enjoyed myself and got to know some folks better.

I was tired by the time I got back to the house, however. Lucky for me folks were scattering hither & yon so I had the place to myself for a few hours to recover. I plopped myself in front of the tv and got crafty ... making a few Christmas gifts. I enjoyed myself and got reacquainted with my crafty side. A nice way to spend the evening. There are times when I realize I miss aspects of living alone. Community is wonderful, but there's something about quality alone time that is important as well. I guess the trick is learning how to balance the two.

We're going to be decorating our actual Christmas tree this week. Maybe I can string some cranberries & popcorn to match my blog quiz!

trunks

I spent a lot of time on retreat walking, looking up at and taking pictures of trees. One day it dawned on me why trees fascinate me so, especially their various and sundry scars, knots and moss covered trunks. They represent visually on their surface the history of the tree, just as the rings on the inside can tell us how old the tree is, how many droughts and rainy seasons it has survived. Each tree tells a unique beautiful story as it goes on living.

But we humans, we don’t like to carry our knots and scars so visibly on the surface. We hide them inside and underneath, under the misconception that we should be perfect. And this effort takes energy away from the business of living. But we don’t have to. God loves us. All of us – warts, knots, and battle scars. Jesus knows. He understands. And he opens his arms to us all the same.

My Christmas Eve Walk (part 3)

Read part one or two, or continue below ...

And then, the Third Vignette. On the path, up on the hill, was a still squirrel. Staring at me. So I stopped and stared back, looking into his little eyes. We both stood there for a bit, frozen. And the line from that song came to me, "For you O Lord my soul in stillness waits. Truly my hope is in you." The message being, chill out. Be still. Be quiet. Hope in God. Trust. All will be well.

I took a few more steps and came across the Fourth Vignette. On the other side of the path was another squirrel. He jumped up on the side of a tree and just hung there, sideways. "Hang in there," was the message. So simple and so profound. At this point I started tearing up again, filled with joy, wonder, awe and gratefulness at the way God was breaking through my morning. Giving all as gift. Using the wonders of creation to guide me, comfort me, challenge me, inspire me. For a minute or two I toyed with the idea that I was a mystic!

By this point the ducks had made it to the other side of the lake and so had I. Turning onto another path, I came across the Fifth Vignette. Another squirrel buddy, this one finding shelter under a picnic table. "Shelter me O God." A little squirrel friend joined him, "Community" and together they ran off on a great adventure. This is getting ridiculous, a part of me thought.

I turned onto another path, and found another squirrel – the Sixth and final Vignette. This one was climbing a tree, but he twisted around so I couldn’t see him. But I knew he was still climbing. "Progress may be hidden, but progress there still is. Trust in the process." He then emerged, half way up the tree, and jumped onto a branch. He ran down the branch, then down a sub-branch, trusting, taking risk. He ran back, jumped up to a higher branch. Walked a thin line, followed a branch as it dipped down yet he held on and found what he was looking for – a seed pod. Into his mouth the seed pod went. I thought, is he going to jump down? But no, he hopped up to another more steady branch and enjoyed his find. I watched him for a bit and left him there. He trusted in the process. He took risks. He persevered. He hung on. He was rewarded. And I realized that the same will be true with me.

On my way out of the park, I saw a few trees with buds in bloom, small tiny blossoms. A reminder that I’m still early in the process. I continue to pray for patience. For wisdom. For courage. For the ability to see God when God breaks through. I know that this morning was probably one of the richest prayer experiences I will ever have. Much to ponder here for the future. All is gift. God is gift. Jesus is light in our darkness, made so real to me this day.

Amen. Amen. Amen.

snowy adventure and mysterious music

This afternoon I spent some quiet time in our Chapel. Normally our Chapel looks out on Lake Washington - today it looked out on a winter wonderland. It was getting dark on this shortest day of the year as I sat there, and it was quite beautiful to sit there in prayer watching it all.

After my Chapel time, I joined folks in our community room. They were watching the The Priests sing on PBS. There I was, enjoying the music and admiring our beautiful Christmas tree when .... POOF ... utter darkness! Luckily my cell phone worked really well as a flashlight in the darkness. Our generator came on, and I helped some of the Sisters find their way to the dining room. Apparently in the case of power failure, our generator provides some light - mostly in the hallways, dining room and kitchen.

I was heading to my room to get my real flashlight before dinner, when someone said I had a phone call. One of our Sisters who lives up the hill in a little hermitage type house was calling to ask if I could come and get her. It made sense since our house had some heat and light and her house had none. So I headed up to my room anyway to get my flashlight and put on my snow gear. Then I headed out in the snowy darkness up the hill to find my car.

The car that I was assigned is the only all wheel drive vehicle in the house - and I have snow tires. I parked it up in the overflow parking lot at the top of the hill in case I needed to go somewhere in an emergency. Yesterday I'd picked up someone who was coming for Christmas. The car had been clear of snow then, and tonight it had at least 6 inches that I needed to clear off. It all worked out fine, although I did have to stop a few times to shake tree branches that were heavy with snow and blocking the driveway. I got safely to her house, picked her up, dropped her off at the main house, and took my car back up to the overflow parking lot.

As I was walking carefully back down the hill through the snowy darkness, I heard music. Sweet music. "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas," the music said. No kidding I said back. The music continued. It was amplified, and I was mystified. How is this possible I thought, the power is out! Then it dawned on me .... The Christmas Ships* must be sailing by our part of the shoreline this snowy evening.

I made it safely back in inside, had a nice hot bowl of soup and PB&J in the company of my sisters, and then (obviously as I am now writing this down for posterity using an electronic computing device) the power came back on.

May it stay on - they lost power here for 10 days a few years ago!

Pray for all those affected by these adverse weather conditions.
Help out when you can.
And stay safe, warm and dry.

*For those of you wondering what a "Christmas Ship" is, it's a Seattle tradition. Every night in December a ship sails on Lake Washington or Lake Union with Christmas music performers on board. They make two stops - usually near a park on the shore - and blast the concert to the shore using loud speakers. I actually went on the Christmas Ship earlier this month with a group of Sisters. It was a lot of fun!

Silly Blog Quiz ... Trees

It's been almost a week since my last post. For those of you who actually check this page expecting to see something new, my apologies.  School is busy and my course content is rather intense this semester, with courses in topics such as the ethics of power and racial justice, spirituality of human rights abuse survivors, and sexual ethics.  Hence, on this snowy Saturday morning before I dive into my homework I give you a silly blog quiz on trees. That's about all my brain can handle.

You Are Smart and Reflective

You are a brilliant and independent thinker. Ideas are important to you. You need a lot of alone time to develop your theories and views. You are an introvert. You get along with anyone who likes to think and learn. You are never superficial. You spend a lot of time thinking about morality. You try to do what's right, even if most of society disagrees.

The Tree Test

Blogthings: Learn Something Surprising About Yourself

Why did I pick a blog quiz about trees?  Because this transplanted Pacific Northwesterner who is sojourning in the Mid West for her graduate studies misses trees.  Don't get me wrong, I'm looking out the window on this March morning and looking at trees.  But they are bare of any green leaves, standing strong in the midst of snow flurries, with no sign of green in the near future.  Meanwhile, my inner sense of seasons, trained from 20+ years in the PNW, is yearning for green.  Tall green cedars and lush green forests, nourished by a light gentle mist.

So I picked this quiz.  I picked this tree.  And discovered that this is apparently where I am supposed to be right now. I don't know that I'm brilliant, but I do enjoy playing with the world of ideas and how they apply to the world at large.  I need to remind myself that this is why I am here, this is why my community encouraged me to engage in academic studies, so that I could have some time and the resources to learn more, delve into theology and ethics, and develop some of these ideas. 

And while I still miss green and forests, I know where to find them.  Our reading week coincides with Holy Week, and I will be heading back to Seattle to spend some time in the forest with our Sisters. By the time I come back to Chicago, it will be April and surely signs of spring will be visible here as well.

In the meantime, back to my studies!

Peace Out.

Gratitude

On the morning of my last full day on retreat, I awoke feeling very grateful and wrote this prayer/poem.

From deep within
flows this feeling of awesome gratitude and wonder.

For storms that clear the air, and rainbows that follow.
Really, I saw one last night!

For trees that dance in the wind, not afraid to break - and if they do they will gladly become firewood.

For gifts given and shared.

For hope-filled people who dance in the wind themselves, not afraid to break -and if they do they will have lived life fully.

Speaking of life, for life itself. The beauty of creation, the depth of tears, the memories of light and laughter and love.

For the dreams that we dream together.

For the chance to live, to grow, to wonder, to be, to make mistakes even.

Maybe this is what it means ...
To see as God sees.
To love as God loves.
To be as God is.

Grateful.

Shortly after I wrote this prayer/poem I went out for my morning walk. On the door was a sign that said "The apple tree near the labyrinth did not survive the storm. It will be taken down this afternoon." I thought of the line in my prayer/poem about trees dancing in the wind and if they break, gladly becoming firewood. For our friend the apple tree, this is indeed what happened that day!

Book meme

As seen chez Nerdy Girl - who also has an extremely disturbing yet equally extremely funny saga about finding termites in her new digs.

A List of Books: Look at the list of books below. Bold the ones you’ve read, italicize the ones you want to read, cross out the ones you won’t touch with a 10 foot pole, underline the ones on your book shelf, and asterisk* the ones you’ve never heard of.

1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry) *
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire(Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald) *
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)

42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence) *
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger) *
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)*
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)*
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)*
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)*
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)*
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down (Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)*
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)*
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)*
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

If you want to play on your own blog, consider yourself tagged.

Put the Lights on the Tree

I've got a case of snow induced lethargy - clever blog posts are hard to come by. So instead, I thought I'd share a newish favorite Christmas song. It's actually a few years old - "Put the Lights on the Tree" by Sufjan Stevens. We have several beautifully decorated Christmas trees here at groovy sister hq. Sister Noreen and her helpers have done an amazing job making everything super Christmasy. I cannot believe that tomorrow is Christmas Eve! Where exactly did Advent go?